


The White Rabbit

by Fire_Bear



Series: AFTG Bingo 2020 [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alice in Wonderland, Battle, Drug Use, Drugs, Dystopian, Dystopian Alice in Wonderland, Dystopian Wonderland, M/M, Magic, Politics, Recreational Drug Use, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: When he needed to hide, he fell down a rabbit hole. At the bottom, he discovered a Wonderland like no other and a cat who names him.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: AFTG Bingo 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817614
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23
Collections: All For The Game Bingo 2020





	1. Rabbits and Cats

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to make sure I did a line for the bingo and apparently decided on doing a diagonal. And so, there's this. Because, apparently, I like to give every prompt I ever do a twist.
> 
> This is obviously based on Alice in Wonderland, but I've also taken a few aspects from Are You Alice? which is an amazing manga and more people should read it so I can gush at them. Also, an anime would be nice. 
> 
> Anyways, this was meant to be a one-shot idea and then I had fun little thoughts and I will probably have to write more of it. =I

All he had been doing, for as long as he could remember, was running and hiding. Somehow, he couldn’t remember what he had been running from, nor what he had been hiding for. What he  _ did _ remember was a rather large hole in the ground. He had been in a forest or some other sort of grassy place and had thought that, maybe, he would find a cave. The hole was hidden somewhat by the roots of a tree, so he had decided that there was a likelihood that they would miss it. 

So he had clambered in and soon found himself slipping down the hole, his bag tumbling after him. It had been a long fall, filled with digital clocks and guns and tables. He had been confused and worried, but it seemed to fade the longer he fell. Instead, he began to grab at the things around him. There were biscuits and tea and, with some relief, he took some and managed to eat and drink it, right way up and upside down and back to front.

Eventually, the items had disappeared and a light from below had shown him the hard floor below. He had grimaced, closed his eyes and braced for impact. However, he needn’t have worried. Something had gripped at his clothes, tumbled him over, and slowed his fall until he had landed on his feet. 

Now, he looked around the room he found himself in as he picked up his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. There were five doors, each with a different symbol on them. One of them had a skull and crossbones. Beside it were some crossed swords and beside that was a wreath made of roses. On the second to last door was a crown above a chess piece; he thought it might be a queen, but he couldn’t be sure. The very last door, however, was the one he gravitated towards. On it, were a pair of racquets, crossed over each other, as if they were being clacked together.

He didn’t know how he knew that.

Since he couldn’t go back or risk being caught, he opened the door. It resisted for a moment before it swung open with a loud creak. He stepped through carefully, peering into the gloom. Slowly, his eyes adjusted and he was able to make out what was around him.

Moonlight shone down over the scene, giving everything a spooky, silvery glow. Tall, glass-filled buildings loomed over him, though most of them were at angles, as if something had pushed them over and left them struggling to stand. Other, shorter buildings were missing roofs and walls. Cars snaked along a road that crossed the overgrown path he was standing on, all of them deathly still. Giant flowers with muted colours swayed in the wind; he was sure he could hear quiet voices singing with each gust, a sorrowful, pained sound.

Grimacing, he turned to go back through the door and try another one, only to find that it had gone. Behind him, stretched more of the path until it was swallowed by darkness. The darkness seemed to watch him, ready to pounce if he so much as stepped back. Shuddering, he stumbled away. He turned away from that darkness and hoped it wouldn’t catch up.

The path twisted away from the road before he got to it, stopped by a huge wall made of glass bricks. He thought it was rather impractical - if there was an earthquake or some other disaster, the wall would instantly fall down. Shaking his head at it, he walked along it, looking for a gap that he could step through so he could take a car. He walked for what felt like hours, but found nothing. The path stayed the same and the wall was smooth and whole.

“Well, well,” came a voice from above him. “A newbie.”

Startled, he stumbled back from the wall and looked up. He blinked and squinted. Hovering above the glass was a moon-shaped…  _ thing _ . It was white and curved upwards. For a moment, he thought it was a smile, but it wasn’t like any smile he had ever seen and he shuddered.

“H-Hello?” he said, his voice hoarse from disuse.

And the moon-smile parted, revealing teeth, a tongue, lips, a voice. “Hello, rabbit.”

“Rabbit? I’m not a rabbit.”

“And yet, you came down the rabbit hole. Ergo, you must be a rabbit.”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “I just… I was… hiding.”

“Hiding, hm?” said the mouth. As it spoke, a tail popped into existence beside it, long and sleek. It was black with grey stripes and it waved to and fro. “Hiding from what, pray tell?”

“I… Does it matter?” he asked, uneasy.

“Of course it does. We have enough problems here in Wonderland.”

“‘Wonderland’?” He shook his head. “That- It’s not possible…” But, even as he said it, he knew that he was wrong. How else could he fall down a hole and arrive in this impossible place? “But… If this is Wonderland, then where did the other doors lead?”

“Oh, those spit you out in other parts of Wonderland,” the mouth explained as the tail was joined by a pair of pointed cat’s ears, both of them swivelled in his direction. “So. Why did you pick  _ here _ to tumble into?”

“I… don’t know,” he admitted. He looked around and noted how Wonderland looked very different from what he would have expected, not that he could remember what he expected it to look like. “What happened here?”

“Don’t you know?” said the person that was suddenly outlined. When he blinked, the mouth and tail and ears belonged to a short man dressed all in black. His blond hair was pale in the moonlight and his eyes were shrouded in shadow so he couldn’t pick out the colour. The cat - for what else could it be - clambered to his feet and began to precariously make his way along the wall, wobbling and grimacing. “Did they not write about that up there?”

He followed, watching in case the cat fell. “Up where?” he asked, then shook his head. “No, I- There’s a girl named Alice and crazy things happen. That’s all.”

“Really? Humans are such silly creatures.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But what’s that got to do with Wonderland?”

“Well,” said the cat, hopping off the suddenly knee-high wall. He stood in front of him, grinning rather maniacally at him. His eyes were a shiny amber, his pupils vertical slits. “Everything and nothing.”

“Did Alice do something here?”

“She knocked a little bit of sense into the inhabitants of Wonderland,” the cat explained, starting to walk backwards. He followed, intrigued. “Just enough for them to band together against other nations.”

“There are other nations?”

“The White Nation, run by the White King and Queen. And the other suits. Which is what happened here.” The cat spun around at the end of his sentence and paused long enough for him to fall in step. “You see, lovely little Alice made fun of the Queen of Hearts at her trial. The Queen of Hearts was angry and he yelled at people a lot, forcing them to hunt the entirety of Wonderland for the girl. But the King of Hearts was old and he died not long after Alice had left. Poor Queenie was devastated and stopped the search so he could remarry.”

When the cat paused for so long that he thought he might be finished, he said, “The Queen is a man? Why didn’t he just become King after the King had died?”

“Because that would be confusing,” the cat said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “He married a man who became the King of Hearts - but he was already the King of Clubs and he brought all his Cards with him.”

“He took over the Hearts part of Wonderland?” he suggested.

“Well done,” said the cat. “Ten points to…? Do you have a name?”

There was one name, but he didn’t want to tell the cat. “No. I don’t. Do you?”

The cat rolled his eyes. “Of course I do. I’m the Cheshire Cat.”

“So do I call you ‘Cheshire’ or ‘Cat’?”

Stopping suddenly, the Cheshire Cat turned to him. The Cat gave him an appraising look, those bright eyes piercing through him. “You can call me Andrew.”

“Okay.”

“And you need to have a name or you’ll make Wonderland more ridiculous than it already is.”

“But I don’t have one,” he said, frowning at Andrew.

“You could use Alice’s name.”

He frowned. “No, I don’t want that one. It’s-” He paused. Despite not really knowing much about Alice, he had been about to say that he didn’t want to be associated with her. But, having given himself a second to think, he realised that, deep down, it was because it didn’t  _ feel _ right. “It’s not mine,” he finished saying.

“Then… Neil. I’ve decided your name is Neil and you can’t change it.” Andrew grinned maniacally at him. “I’ve decided to keep you - at least until we get you a weapon or to a safe place. Then I’ll have to go.”

“Wait, weapon? Go? Why?” asked Neil, his attention pulling everywhere at once. He had a new name and he… Well, Neil loved it. Somehow, he felt like he’d been given the start of his new life.

“Oh, yes. I haven’t finished the story.” Andrew twirled away and stalked off, his tail weaving through the air behind him. Neil had the strange urge to tug on it but decided not to. With all this talk of weapons and war, he didn’t think it would be a good idea to surprise him. Besides, he had seen cats and he knew they usually didn’t like their tails being pulled. “Well,” Andrew continued as Neil hurried to catch up. “The King of Clubs was horrible to the Queen of Hearts, but Queenie was relieved to have a husband again. Then, one fun day, the King decided to expand their territory.” Andrew shrugged and gestured around them, one of his ears twitching.

“And this happened?” Neil asked, staring at the devastation. “How?”

“Weapons,” Andrew said with a disinterested shrug.

“What’s happening now?”

“Do you ever stop asking questions?” Andrew retorted, shaking his head. “Now, those that were the original characters are attempting to fight back.” He scoffed. “It isn’t going well.”

Neil looked around again, taking in the toppled buildings, the abandoned cars, the smashed shop fronts, the silence. “Is that why you’re alone?”

“Mm. We also heard the door opening.”

“Huh?” Neil stopped, staring at Andrew. The Cat also stopped, turning to look at him, still with that wide grin on his face. “How did you hear that? It’s so far away…” He trailed off and started to turn to look back at the way he had come.

“Don’t do that,” said Andrew, making Neil freeze. “Not unless you want to be swallowed by shadows. Come on,” he added, continuing on his way.

Following, Neil resisted the urge to check over his shoulder and to make sure that they weren’t being followed. He remembered the disappearance of the door and wondered. “What are the shadows, anyway?”

“Who knows?” said Andrew. “No more questions. We’re nearly there.”

Confused, Neil looked around. He couldn’t see anything particularly interesting on their path. Something inside him told him not to ask, however, and instead he slowly said, “Okay…”

They had barely gone a few more paces when Neil saw what Andrew had meant. A door suddenly popped into existence, though it had clearly been there for quite some time. It had been painted green, but it was faded and peeling. Grass grew around the bottom of it, stretching for the sun. The yellow heads of weeds bobbed their heads in a nonexistent breeze; they looked rather depressed and Neil found himself feeling sorry for them. Apart from the rundown look of it, the door had another symbol on it: a paw print.

“Where-?” Neil began before remembering what Andrew had just said.

Andrew gave him an overly amused glance. “This will take you to the Queen of Hearts.”

“What? Why would I want to see him?” Neil demanded. He wasn’t keen on seeing the man who had ruined Wonderland. 

“He needs all the help he can get,” Andrew said, apparently unconcerned by Neil’s outburst. “Go talk to him. He’s in a safe place.”

Neil eyed Andrew, unsure whether he should trust the cat or not. However, he  _ was _ sure that the cat wasn’t among the people who had been chasing him, so he nodded. “Okay.” Then he thought about the rest of what Andrew had said. “Are you not coming with me?”

“No.” Andrew grinned at Neil. “I’ve got something to take care of in this district. Tell Queen Kevin that it’s mostly quiet here.”

“Okay,” said Neil, slowly. He gazed at Andrew for a moment before he turned to the door. For some reason, he trusted that he would see Andrew again. So, taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the doorknob and turned it, preparing himself to face the execution-happy queen.

Just as he pulled the door open, there was a screeching sound from behind him. It sounded like some sort of animal. Startled, he turned, leaving the door ajar, and searched for the source of the noise. In the distance and yet terribly close was a line of people, each one of them brandishing various weapons that looked horribly like the racquets on the first door. They yelled and began to charge, heading straight for them. Alarmed, Neil backed into the door, the edge pushing his duffel into his spine.

Andrew merely laughed. He turned from Neil, putting himself between him and the attackers. “Go,” he said. “I’ll take care of this. And don’t forget my message.”

“Wait!” cried Neil, his eyes wide. “Who are they? Why are they attacking us?”

“They’re the Clubs cards,” Andrew said, already brandishing knives. Neil hadn’t seen where he had pulled them from. “They attack everything. Go.”

“I’m not leaving-”

“If you don’t go,” Andrew warned, smiling at Neil, “you won’t be of any interest to us.” His smile was not friendly and Neil flinched away from it. Still, he couldn’t help frowning with worry. Andrew noticed and heaved a put-upon sigh. “Don’t be stupid. I’m a cat. I’m not going to die here, not for very long. And Wonderland doesn’t work like that. Now, go, or you’ll be back where you started.”

Neil grimaced, thinking of his desperation to hide. He nodded and turned to the door, opening it wider so he could get inside. Even as he stepped through, he turned to keep his eyes on Andrew, wondering how he would hold his own when there were so many of the cards. Before he even thought of closing the door, Andrew stepped forward, facing off against the first card who met him. Neil could see his manic grin as he leapt forward, his knife flashing. The card went down and Neil jerked backwards as the door slammed shut of its own accord.

Still, even though he didn’t know what was happening, he felt a sense of relief, somehow sure that he would see Andrew again.


	2. Royals and Madmen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so, I've had this written for 2 weeks and posted on another website. If you want to know more about that and get other things 2 weeks before being posted here, then you should head to my [Tumblr](https://fire-bear.tumblr.com/). Or even my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Fire_Bear12), but I use Tumblr more. I'll even try to remember to give you all updates about what I'm writing there.

He had been expecting a grand foyer, worthy of nobility at least, but Neil found himself in a cosy sitting room. There were chairs and couches and sofas and chaise longues and beanbags. Some were colourful, others clearly expensive despite how dull they looked. A few chairs had high backs while others were comfortable armchairs, much loved and fraying. Blankets and throws were draped every which way and there was even a pile of them on the floor. All of the seats and couches were facing in all directions so that there was no focal point to the room. Small tables were stuffed into the spaces left, some of them round, others square. Several of them had coasters on them while others had crocheted cloths draped upon them. Neil spotted several mugs and cups throughout the room, most of which were empty, though steam rose from one of them in the middle of the room. 

Halfway up the wall on Neil’s right was a large, ornate fireplace. Higher than that, on his left, was a smaller one; the candles on the mantelpiece above it were toppled on their sides with dried wax flowing off the edge. Both fireplaces had fires crackling away in them, but the circular fireplace on the ceiling was the most interesting of all of them as the colour changed between blue and green and red. An upside down grandfather clock presided over the room, its second hand moving backwards. Neil watched it for a moment and noted that the minute hand was turning in the right direction. If it was at the right time while upside down, it was seven o’clock; if you had to be on your head to read it properly it was actually half past one.

Without Andrew with him, Neil felt nervous, and all the more so when he realised that he wasn’t alone in the room. He stared at the people there, wide-eyed as he took in the details. One of them was a young woman with long, blond hair that she had pulled back into a long braid. It sat over her shoulder and the tip of it brushed her belly. She wore a lilac dress that only had one shoulder and came to just above mid-thigh - or so Neil assumed as she was seated on a high-backed chair, one leg crossed over the other. Dark purple decoration formed a pattern over her stomach which he couldn’t make out from where he stood. The heels she wore, though, he could definitely see, and he tried not to wince when he noticed how pointed they were. Her lips were painted with lipstick that seemed to be a natural colour, but the light caught it as she turned her head and it revealed that there were hints of pale purple. Attached to her hair was a tiny, purple top hat which sat at a stylish angle.

Beside her sat a woman with white hair, the tips dyed in all the colours of the rainbow. Some of her hair had been drawn up into two high buns which made her look as though she had a pair of animal’s ears - a mouse, Neil decided. Her eyes were mostly closed and the smile she wore made her look quite serene. Neil thought there was something odd about her, though. Perhaps it was the contrast of her clothes to the formally dressed woman beside her. The woman wore a light, flowy blouse with a navy waistcoat that was left open. Around her neck was a thin, silver chain; a simple cross rested on her collarbone. A floaty, navy skirt was draped over her legs (which she had crossed at the ankles), and the bottom of it rested against her calves where little mice ran along the hem. A white belt encircled her waist, wide enough to hide all sorts and buckled with the outline of a mouse.

Across from them sat a third woman, this one wearing all brown. Over a light brown, long-sleeved top, she had a furry waistcoat that was a slightly darker shade. The top itself was cut in a deep ‘v’ which showed off her collarbones and the edge of a tattoo. Her hair was cut short, shorn at the sides, but there were an extra set of ears on her head, these ones tall and straight. Both of them were swivelled towards Neil, her dark eyes staring straight at him, narrowed in suspicion. Brown trousers were tucked into black army boots. At her hip was a sword and a gun rested on her lap, not yet taken up in her surprise. 

Lastly, a man sat upon the one chair that looked most like a throne. It had marks on it, as if it had been present when a fight had played out, with swords and guns alike gouging scores and lines into the wood. The man seated there was tall and straight-backed, with impeccable posture. He had black hair and green eyes and a red chess piece tattooed under his left eye. On his right cheek, someone had painted a heart which had since been smudged. Atop his head was a crown, all gold and jewels and cloth. A jewel heart had been secured to the crown at the very top of it and glittered in the light. He was wearing a red suit, with a bulletproof vest over the top. Beside the throne was a Tommy gun, propped against it so that the stock of the gun rested by the man’s right hand. His left hand rested at the edge of the armrest and the scars on the back of it were clearly visible.

There was a quiet stillness in the moments that Neil took it all in. Then, before Neil could speak, three of them stood all at once. Only the woman in white remained seated, though Neil could see how tense she was. Several guns were pointed in his direction, but Neil didn’t flinch. Still, he wanted to stay alive, so he raised his hands to show that he wasn’t a threat.

“Who are you?” demanded the woman in brown. Neil’s eyes flicked to her animalistic ears and decided that she must be the March Hare. That was someone from the stories, right?

“I’m… Neil, I guess,” he told her. 

“Neil?” snapped the man - the Queen, probably. “I’ve never heard of a Neil. You’re from Clubs, aren’t you?”

“No,” said Neil, quickly. “No, I’m from…” Neil shrugged and jerked his head upwards in silent explanation.

“Above?” said the woman with the hat. Since she had stood, Neil could see the pattern on her dress, and it came together to form a hat with the lacy material it was made from; Neil decided that she must be the Hatter.

“Yeah,” Neil told her. “I fell down the rabbit hole. Andrew told me to come here?”

“Andrew?” said the Queen, the barrel of his gun lowering a little.

“Yeah, the… the Cheshire Cat?”

“I know who Andrew is,” the Queen said, condescendingly. “I am not an idiot.”

The Hatter snorted. “Sure.”

He turned towards her, raising his gun. “I can remove your head!” the Queen exclaimed, looking irritated.

In response, the Hatter raised her own tiny pistol towards him. “Try it, Kev. See where that gets you.”

“Allison,” said the woman in white, whom Neil supposed was probably the Dormouse. “This won’t help us.”

It took Allison a moment to lower her gun and she did so with a huff. Once she had, they turned back to Neil who blinked at them, perplexed. “Uh,” he said, catching the Dormouse’s eye.

“Andrew sent you to us?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Neil said, cautiously. “He told me to tell the Queen that it’s mostly quiet there. But… There were cards, and he stayed to fight them.”

“Dammit,” grumbled Kev, the Queen. “He’ll give away our location.”

Neil blinked and looked over his shoulder. As he had expected, the door had gone. Just as he turned to look, he remembered what Andrew had said about the shadows and he grimaced. Thankfully, there was none, only more light from a table that was now where the door had been; all of the candles that sat upon it were merged into one mass, though the flames were all separate. In the corner, however, was another doorway that led to a hallway. If he concentrated, Neil was sure he could hear someone moving around at the other end, though it was quiet enough that he couldn’t tell how many were there or how close they were.

“How would he do that? Where _are_ we?” Neil asked. There had definitely not been a building where the door had appeared.

“I’m not telling you,” the Queen replied, haughtily. “I don’t want you to know, and I’m in charge here.” He turned away, stepping back towards his rickety throne.

“Right. Of course you are,” said Neil without thinking. 

With a noise almost like a growl, Kev spun around to point his gun at Neil. “What was that?” he demanded. “If you’re going to-”

There was a sudden bang and Kev jumped. Neil ducked behind an armchair in alarm, sure that Kev the Queen would fire at him since he’d had his finger on the trigger. But Kev must have had the safety on because nothing happened. Slowly, Neil straightened from his crouch just enough to peek over the back of the chair. Kev looked just as startled as Neil was before he frowned and spun to look at the far corner. Neil glanced over and his eyebrows raised as he realised that there was one more person in the room.

Whoever it was, they had clearly been sleeping on the couch but had rolled over and fallen off. They were wearing green with black material between the arms of their shirt and the body. It probably made them look like they had wings in certain situations. On their head was a pair of antennae that twitched as the person attempted to stand. Neil had barely taken in those details when the person got to their feet and he saw that it was Andrew.

No, Neil was startled to realise, it wasn’t Andrew. The man was the spitting image of Andrew, but Neil decided that he must be Andrew’s twin. Instead of the insane grins, this man was scowling as he got to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot and Neil had the feeling that this twin was often consuming alcohol or something like it. 

Kev the Queen sighed and grumbled as he spotted what the problem was. “Aaron,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Wake up.”

Aaron scowled all the more. “Shut up, asshole. Are you blind as well as crippled? Can you not see my eyes? And where’s my bong?”

“Andrew took it,” said the Hare.

“Urgh.” Aaron didn’t put up much more of an argument and merely stuck his hand into his green jeans and pulled out a joint. As he lit it, he mumbled, “It’s not _my_ fault I’m the Caterpillar.”

“Oh!” said Neil, blinking at Aaron. “The _Caterpillar_.”

Aaron paused and stared at Neil for a moment before he looked down at his joint. “Dammit, I thought I told Nicky to stop giving me the hallucinogenics.”

“Maybe you could stop taking any of them,” the Dormouse suggested.

Ignoring her, Aaron dropped into a beanbag. “Who are you?” he demanded, frowning at Neil.

“I’m Neil,” he repeated. “Your brother sent me here.”

“Don’t have a brother,” said Aaron, petulantly. 

“Um?” Neil wasn’t sure how to respond to that or what he was even doing there.

“We need an Alice not a Neil,” Aaron continued. “What’s Andrew playing at?”

“Who knows?” said the Hare with a sigh. She sat down as well, crossing her arms and legs at the same time.

“Is-? What…?” Neil huffed out a breath in frustration. “Andrew explained what was going on and I gave you his message. You’re supposed to talk to me, Queen Kev.”

“Kevin,” snapped the Queen.

“Ah, okay. Kevin. Andrew said I should talk to you.”

“I don’t want to,” said Kevin, folding his arms and clearly sulking. 

Neil stared at him. “Why are you-?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” Allison suddenly interjected. “Are you secretly an Alice?”

“No!” Neil exclaimed. “Andrew gave me my name, but I’m not an Alice. He told me I should come here to talk the Queen, but if you’re not going to be _useful_ ” - he directed a glare at the scowling Kevin - “then I might as well leave.”

“Wait,” said the Dormouse. “When Andrew gets back, we can discuss things.”

“No, Renee,” snapped Kevin. “He’s disrespectful and I don’t want him-”

“What’s going on?” said a new voice.

Neil startled and spun towards the doorway. The newcomer was a man with a scowl to rival Kevin and Aaron’s. He was wearing much the same as the Hare: jeans, boots, shirt and waistcoat. Instead of the fur, though, this man’s waistcoat looked like scales. And, as Neil took him in, he realised that a thick, green tail was attached to his lower back. It started off thicker than Neil’s leg before tapering off to a rounded point. Neil thought it looked like a lizard’s tail, though he wasn’t sure he remembered a lizard being part of Wonderland.

“Who are you?” demanded the man. “What’s he doing here?”

“I’m Neil,” he explained. “Andrew sent me here. He said that I should talk to Kevin but it seems like that’s a waste of time. So I’m leaving. I have to, before…” Neil trailed off, trying to remember who he had originally been running from.

“Good,” snapped the Lizard. “We’ve got enough people stuffed into this house as it is.”

“You don’t need to be here,” Allison pointed out, clearly unimpressed with the Lizard, who scowled at her. 

“This is _my_ house!” he protested.

“It’s an amalgamation of several houses,” Allison retorted.

“Seth, Allison,” said the Dormouse. “This is not the time for fighting. And Neil, come sit. I can fill you in, if you’d like.”

Instead of going to her side, Neil took a step away, looking between Seth, Allison, the Dormouse and Queen Kevin. “Uh, I think I’ll just go.”

“Wait,” said the Hare, but Neil had already darted around Seth. With his heavy and cumbersome tail, Seth turned slowly and wasn’t able to stop him. So Neil managed to get through the doorway and into the long, narrow hall. For a second, Neil felt some sort of pressure on his ears. The cries and calls from behind him seemed to cut off for a second before becoming muted. Neil didn’t stop to puzzle on it and hurried onwards, eyes darting around for every possible exit.

There was none. Instead, the walls - wallpapered with a blue pattern that depicted clocks and racquets and hearts - stretched on and on to the other room. He could still see movement from within it, the people there unaware that he was approaching. Ignoring his trepidation of what he would find there, Neil continued onwards.

Paintings hung on the wall. Neil hadn’t noticed them before but, suddenly, they were there. He fought the urge to turn around, to check if there were paintings behind him; Neil was suddenly sure that, if he turned around, those shadows would be there. Unwittingly, Neil slowed, looking at them as he hurried by. At first, they depicted the traditional pictures of Alice in Wonderland, then the cartoon movie, and finally…

Neil stopped to stare at one of them, horrified at the contents. It showed, in quite graphic detail, a battle. He assumed that it was from the war that had so devastated Wonderland. At the forefront, a person with floppy dog ears stared into Neil’s soul with their dead eyes where they lay in a pool of what could only be blood. He shuddered and hurried onwards, noting the horrors in each one. Blasted buildings; rubble; dead citizens; cards that were squashed flat; ravens circling; shadows trailing fingers along the back of Alice-

Again, Neil stopped, staring at the picture. Whatever the shadows were, this particular picture looked as if a huge hand was reaching out for Alice. Dread filled Neil and he hurried to the next picture - the last one that he could see for now. There, Alice lay with her neck at an odd angle. The shadows were drawing away, their job done. 

With his heart pounding, Neil fled.

Just as he was picking up speed, the hall abruptly ended. Startled, Neil stumbled over his own feet and he had to catch himself on a large, wooden table. Meat and vegetables were neatly arranged upon it. Blinking, Neil looked up and found herbs hanging from the ceiling. Something was sizzling and Neil spotted a hob that stretched along one wall, with pots and pans on every circle of heat. Ovens sat side by side by side. There seemed to be something in each of them. The kitchen smelled like a mix of savoury and sweets and Neil wrinkled his nose, unsure whether they were about to have a tea party or dinner.

He pushed himself upright, looked around for the exit, and froze. There people in the kitchen had stilled at his entrance, all three of them in the midst of stirring at pots or frying pans. They all stared at each other. Then, before Neil could move, one of them leapt forward and into his path.

“Woah! Where’d _you_ come from?” the man asked.

“Nicky,” said another man.

Both of them were dressed similarly and Neil blinked in confusion. They were wearing short dungarees. No, Neil suddenly realised, they were wearing lederhosen. The colours were brighter than normal, with the shorts and straps being a cheerful yellow and the shirt being a lighter green than Aaron’s clothes. In fact, the entire outfit almost seemed to glow, and Neil thought that they might actually be wearing neon versions of the lederhosen. One of them had rich, brown skin and black hair and a bright smile. The taller one had blond hair and blue eyes and was looking at the first - Nicky - with incredible fondness.

The last person in the kitchen was a man with a heart nestled in his black hair. Just like Kevin, he had a heart painted on his cheek, right next to the corner of his mouth. A bright orange apron had been slung loosely over some rich, simple clothes. The white shirt’s sleeves were rolled up to the man’s elbows and flour covered both his hands and the apron. Though he wore boots, just like the Hare did, his were knee-high and looked as though they belonged to a soldier’s formal uniform.

Finally, as his eyes swept over all of them, Neil spotted the door that he could leave through; Nicky and the blond man were in his way. So, hoping that they would move if he indulged their curiosity, Neil said, “Andrew sent me here. I’m Neil.”

“Neil? Where did you come from?” Nicky asked, stepping closer. “I mean, I’d definitely have remembered you in the Hearts part of Wonderland.”

“I’m not from Hearts,” Neil informed him, starting to sidle along the edge of the room in an attempt to get around Nicky.

Nicky recoiled at that and the blond man reached for him, pulling him away from Neil. “You’re from Clubs? A card? A Raven?”

Frowning in confusion, Neil paused for a moment. “Raven?” He looked down at his grey hoodie and faded jeans. “I’m not a bird.”

“No,” said a familiar voice from behind Neil. “You’re a rabbit.”

Neil spun around and found Andrew seated on a counter in the corner of the room, legs too short to reach the floor. His grin had gone and he stared at Neil so intensely that Neil felt fear shoot through him for a fraction of a moment. He nearly proved Andrew correct and bolted, but he stayed where he was, somehow relieved that the man that had started this was here to explain things. As Andrew watched him, obviously waiting to see what Neil would do, he reached out and batted at a hanging ladle. It fell from its hook and went skittering across the floor. Neil didn’t look away from Andrew.

“The tarts are almost done!” the third man said, suddenly. Andrew glanced at him, utterly disinterested. “We can all eat soon.”

“Andrew, what’s going on? Who’s this guy?” asked Nicky, sounding both nervous and excited. “Is he-?”

“We can talk about this while we eat,” Andrew told him, dismissively. “We’ll eat in the dining room.” He pushed off of the counter and landed gracefully. His tail still waved behind him as he walked towards Neil and stalked around him. Neil blinked and watched him, turning his head to and fro to keep track of him. On his second go around, Andrew stopped and gave Nicky a quelling look. “And stop asking questions. That’s not your role.”

Nicky winced. “Ah, yeah. Right. Sorry.”

With another flick of his tail, Andrew spun on his heel and stalked back towards the doorway that Neil had just come from. “Stop,” he said, and it took Neil a moment to realise that he was talking to Nicky. When he reached the arch he would have to pass through, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Neil. Their gazes locked and Neil marvelled at how golden his eyes seemed in the warm light. “Come,” Andrew ordered and stepped into the hallway.

Frowning, Neil hurried after him. “But there’s only one room along there,” he protested before he was proved utterly wrong.


End file.
